Catherwood LibraryILR School

In a move that many health-care and nurses unions are calling too little too late, the Bush administration yesterday abandoned its flat out refusal to agree to a limited compensation system for individuals who become ill or die as a result of smallpox vaccinations (see WIT for Jan. 17, 2003). Prodded by the dramatic failure of its smallpox inoculation plan due to the intense objections of unions, hospitals, and public health departments about the lack of compensation for those suffering complication the Bush administration has proposed a limited compensation package. Although the package would cover medical and emergency personnel who volunteer to be inoculated---as well as family members and patients exposed to the vaccine---many labor groups have criticized caps and minimum impact qualifications placed on the compensation and maintain their opposition to the inoculations.